Safety attachment for tape operated line casting machines



Dec. 22, 1953 P. HILPMAN 2,663,407

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR TAPE OPERATED LINE CASTING MACHINES Filed 001:. 23, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JNVfiNTOR Paul Hllpman -9' ATTORNEYS SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR TAPE OPERATED LINE CASTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 25. 1951 P- HILPMAN Dec. 22, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a m mm E 701% m V T W1 Paiented Dec. 22, 1953 ii iii tii i 5 W N 2 2.680

' 3 metal into the mold and against the line to produce' the type bar or slug.

The operation of the pump plunger 9 is performed by a heavy tension spring Ill under the control of a cam I I on the clutch-driven main cam shaft I 2. The spring I is attached at its lower end to the frame of the machine and at its upper end to a lever I3, which is connected to the plunger 9 through a rock shaft I 4 and a lever I5.

I6 tracking on the surface of the cam I I. The shape of the cam II is such as to hold the pump lever I in its raised or inoperative position until a cast is to be made. At that time, a very steep drop-off of the cam allows the spring I0, through the levers I3 and I5, to force the plunger downward for the cast.

Normally, however, the pump lever I5 is locked The lever 55 is provided with a roller against operation by a stop (not shown), the

release of which is controlled by pressure exerted against the vise jaws during justification of the line. If the line is properly justified, the stop is removed to permit the cast; on the other hand, the stop prevents the operation of the plunger if the line is not properly justified.

After the casting operation, the mold wheel 6 is rotated to slug ejecting position. Meanwhile, the first elevator 4, carrying the line of matrices and spacebands, is raised to its uppermost level where it is arrested by a fixed overhanging structure I? of the machine frame in endwise alignment with an upper transfer channel I8. At about the same time that the first elevator 4 arrives at the upper transfer level, a second elevator I9 will have descended to a position of rest upon the top of the upper transfer channel and thus locate its horizontal toothed bar endwise in line with the toothed combinations of the matrices. In its downward stroke, the second elevator pivotally operates a latch 2| which releases a transfer slide 22, actuated by a link 24, for its active stroke to the right. During. this stroke, a depending finger 23 of the slide pushes the line to the right into the upper transfer channel I8 where the second elevator is waiting to receive the matrices. The spacebands, having no toothed portions, pass under the second elevator bar 20 and aresupported upon rails in the transfer channel rather than by said bar. As soon as the second elevator begins its ascent to convey the matrices to the distributing mechanism, denoted generally in Fig. 1 by the reference character D, a spaceband pawl 25, carried by a lever 26, begins a stroke which carries it first to the left over the tops of the spacebands and then to the right, transferring the spacebands to their storage magazine 3.

The spaceband pawl 25, incidentally, works in conjunction with but in an opposite direction to the transfer slide 22, and the above described operations take place in two stages, the first serving to transfer the composed line from the first elevator to the upper transfer channel (during which the spaceband pawl makes only av partial stroke), and the second (when the second elevator is out of the way) allowing the spaceband pawl to make a full stroke to gather up the spacebands and restore them to the magazine 3.

The latch 2|, it should be understood, is another standard safety device, the purpose of which is to prevent the operation of the upper transfer slide 22 when the second elevator does not fully descend or when the bar 20 is not properly seated in the intermediate channel I8.

2,663,407 r g a 0 Also, in either of these cases, it is a standard safety feature of the Linotype machine that the main driving clutch will be automatically disengaged to stop any further rotation of the main cam shaft I2.

As explained, the second elevator I9 serves to transport the composed matrice from the upper transfer channel I8 to the distributing mecha nism D of the machine. The normal position of the second elevator is its upper or line deliv ery position as shown by the full lines in Fig. l, but at the time the matrices are shifted from the first elevator into the upper transfer channel, the second elevator will occupy its line receiving position seated on the transfer channel. An upstanding guide post 21 facilitates the proper seating of the second elevator. The second elevator, as usual, is supported from a shaft 28 by a pivotal lever 29, and the movements of the second elevator are imparted to it, from a rotary cam 3i] on the shaft I2 through a cam follower BI and linkage arrangement 32. V

The foregoing parts and their manner of operation are standard and form no part of the present invention, except insofar as they are utilized in carrying out the present invention,

From the above description. of the standard Linotype machine, it can be seen that under certain circumstances the pump plunger is rendered inoperative, with the result that no slug is cast. Nevertheless, the succeeding steps in the distribution of the matrioesandspacebands follow automatically, so that if the failure to cast is not observed the line will be. lostfand will have to be. re-composed and recast when missed. Moreover, if the machine .is operating. automatically from a tape control unit, the loss of the slug will not ordinarily be. noticed. until some later time. Again, it may be that the control tape was prepared by remote control and that there is no written copyof the textfrom which to reset and recast the missing line, in which case the missing linewill have .torbe sought out on the long perforated controltape.

It is the aim of the present invention to hang up in the first elevator 4 at the upper transfer level anycomposed line which has not been cast by preventing the complete descentof the second elevator I9. As before explained, transfer of the line from the first elevator will not take place until the actuation of the releasing latch 2I by the complete descent .of the, second elevator, and-if the transfer does not take place, the clutch through which the main cam shaft I2 i driven will be automatically disengaged, preventing any further operation of the machine. Also, under these conditions, the further feed of the control tape will automatically cease as soon as the line in process of composition has been completed.

The stoppage of the machine will be quickly noticed and the cause immediately detected. The machine may then be put back into operative condition simply by backing oil the tape to the line which has not beencast,'permitting the tape to recompose the lineand then filling in the line by hand with the necessary spacebands or blank spaces so that the length of the line when justified is sufficient to release the pump stop. Usually, the. tape will have to be backed off three full lines, one for the composed line, one for the line in waiting position (i. e. awaiting the return of the first elevator to receive it), and finally one for the missing line. 7

Turning now to structure of-thepresent safety attachment, shown especially in Figs. 3 to 5, a stop 35 is pivoted near its lower end, as at 35 to a supporting bracket 36 attached to the machine frame F. Normally, the upper end of the stop is positioned in the path of travel of the second elevator supporting lever 29, as shown in Fig. 3, to prevent the complete descent thereof. However, if the casting operation has taken place, as evidenced by the downward movement of the pump actuating lever I3, the upper end of the stop will be shifted out of the path of travel of the lever 29. p

The stop 35 is maintained in its normal looking position and controlled in its movement to unlocking position by a lever 31 mounted to turn about the same pivot 35*. The lower end of the lever 31 engages the pump actuating lever 13, and the contour of the engaging edge thereof includes a depression 31 and an elevation or raised portion 31 The upper end of the lever 31 carries an adjustable screw 33 which connects it with the stop 35.

The stop 35 carries a horizontally disposed pivoted catch member 39 presenting at one end a hook 39 and carrying at the other end a vertical set screw 43 which acts as a trip. A small tension spring fil, anchored to the bracket 36 below the catch member 39, is connected to a pin 42 protruding from the hook end of the said member. The spring 3| normally keeps the pin 32 in banking contact with the top edge of the bracket 33, and, in addition, acts to maintain the stop 35 in the obstructing position shown in Fig. 3. In this position of the stop, the pump actuating lever 13 is located in the depression 31 of the lever 31.

During casting, the pump actuating lever 13 moves vertically downward, as shown in Fig. 4, engaging the high portion 31 of the lever 31 and thereby pivoting the s top 35 out of the vertical path of travel of the second elevator lever 29. As the stop is thus pivoted out of the way, the hook 39 of the catch member 33 engages behind the upper edge of the mounted side of the bracket 36 and thus temporarily holds the stop out of operative or obstructing position.

As the second elevator 29 reaches its lowermost position (see dotted line in Fig. 4) it comes into contact with the set screw 40, rocking the catch member 39 about its pivot to disengage it from the bracket 36, and permitting the spring 4! to move the stop 35 against the side of the lever 29. The manner of release of the stop 35 is illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. As soon as the lever 29 rises to move the second elevator to the distributor D, the stop 35 is completely returned by the spring 4| to its normal operative position, as indicated in Fig. 3. Such is the normal operation of the parts.

If the casting operation does not take place, the pump actuating lever 13 fails to remove the stop 35 from the path of the second elevator lever 29 and hence the second elevator is stopped in the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, with the result that the latch 2| locks the upper transfer slide 22 against operation and causes the driving clutch for the main cam shaft l2 to be automatically disengaged and thus preventing any further machine operations.

The set screw 40 may, of course, be adjusted to regulate the time of release of the catch member 39, and the set screw 38 may be adjusted to position the upper end of the stop 35 in proper relation to the path of travel of the second elevator lever 29.

The invention has been shown and described in preferred form and by way of example, but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein and in its mode of application which will still be comprised within its spirit. For example, the present safety device could be employed in conjunction with some warning or signal device for, calling attention to the fact that the operation of the machine has been arrested. Again, the device could be employed in conjunction with a control switch for arresting the tape feed of the automatic control unit instantly, instead of at the completion of the line in composition, as is now the case.

It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not to be limited to any specific form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a line casting machine equipped with a second elevator and a pump plunger, the combination therewith of a stop member normally occupying an active position to prevent the complete downward movement of the second elevator, and means actuated by the casting movement of the pump plunger to move the stop member to an inactive position to permit the complete downward movement of the second elevator.

2. In a line casting machine equipped with a second elevator and a pump plunger, the combinaticn therewith of a stop member normally occupying an active position to prevent the complete downward movement of the second elevator, means actuated by the casting movement of the pump plunger to move the stop member to an inactive position to permit the complete downward movement of the second elevator, and

automatic means for restoring the stop member to its active position after the casting operation.

3. In a line casting machine equipped with a second elevator and a pump plunger, the combination therewith of a stop member normally occupying an active position to prevent the complete downward movement of the second elevator, means actuated by the castin movement of the pump plunger to move the stop member to an inactive position to permit the complete downward movement of the second elevator, a latch for locking the stop member temporarily in its inactive position, and trip means actuated by the complete downward movement of the second elevator for releasing said latch to permit the return of the stop member to its normal active position.

PAUL HILPMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,067,543 Pearce et al. July 15, 1913 1,410,332 Letsch Mar. 21, 1922 

